The Lord of the Rings on Amazon Prime: Everything we know so far

Few fantasy titles are enjoying as much attention as the upcoming Lord of the Rings series, which starts filming in New Zealand in February 2020. The show, produced by Amazon, takes fans back to Middle-earth years before the events depicted in the movie series that began with The Fellowship of the Ring.

The show has an impressive budget, a multi-season commitment and some tremendous talent. It’s enough to believe this could be the one series to rule them all.

We’re eager to tune in.

When is the Lord of the Rings TV series coming out?

The Lord of the Rings on Amazon Prime launches in 2021, though no premiere date has been announced. With filming starting in February 2020, we’re crossing our fingers to see a premiere in early 2021.

What is the Lord of the Rings TV series about?

We don’t have details about the plot of the upcoming prequel, and early reports speculated that the series focuses on a young Aragorn have been debunked. What we do know is that the story takes place during the Second Age, the time in which the Rings of Power, including Sauron’s One Ring, came to be — hundreds of years before Aragorn was born.

Who stars in the Lord of the Rings TV series?

Robert Aramayo, who played young Ned Stark on Game of Thrones, is rumored to be the show’s lead, replacing Will Poulter who had to leave due to scheduling conflicts.

Reports out now list the following cast:

• Robert Aramayo
• Owain Arthur
• Nazanin Boniadi
• Tom Budge
• Morfydd Clark
• Ismael Cruz Córdova
• Ema Horvath
• Markella Kavenagh
• Joseph Mawle
• Tyroe Muhafidin
• Sophia Nomvete
• Megan Richards
• Dylan Smith
• Daniel Weyman
• Charlie Vickers

Will the Lord of the Rings TV series be any good?

We sure hope so, with all the hype out there.

J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are the showrunners and are in charge of writing the script. This came as a shock when the news was announced since the two are fairly unknown. Given that they won the gig against what had to be fierce competition, it means fans should remain confident they can bring new stories to life.

Game of Thrones alum Bryan Cogman is a consulting producer, while J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is set to direct multiple episodes.

Its budget is a doozy. Amazon reportedly paid $250 million for the rights, overbidding Netflix. However, the series is expected to cost north of $1 billion dollars, according to The Hollywood Reporter. For a handy reference, the combined budget for all three original Lord of the Rings films was $281 million.

The rights deal also came with a five-season commitment, enough time to properly tell a story from beginning to end. The show is already renewed for a second season. That’s good news, as it usually means that the wait between the first and second season won’t be that excruciating.

The deal also includes the potential for spin-offs, which means we could get more Middle-earth related stories. All this signals Amazon’s faith in the show and willingness to spend big to make it an international hit.

And to appease any fan sceptics out there: according to Tolkien scholar and series supervisor Tom Shippey, the Tolkien estate maintains power of veto over any content in the show. That basically means that the prequel will likely stick to the history Tolkien established.

Amazon Prime Video details

Amazon Prime Video is free with an Amazon Prime subscription, which costs $8.99/month. Besides access to the streaming service, which also hosts hits like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag, users also get tons of extra perks.

These include free delivery on eligible items, free international delivery on eligible Amazon items, exclusive access to deals, a premium experience on Twitch, as well as free access to Prime Music.

New Amazon Prime users can enjoy a 30-day free trial. Check out our list of the best Amazon Original Series on Prime Video.